Chapter 8: The Purpose Behind Behavioral Conditioning

from the book "RootEd: How Trauma Impacts Learning and Society" by S.R. Zelenz

“The institutional role of the schools for the most part is just to train people for obedience and conformity, and to make them controllable and indoctrinated—and as long as the schools fulfill that role, they’ll be supported.” —Noam Chomsky, Understanding Power: The Indispensable Chomsky, 2002

Behavior

If one were to ask a schoolteacher or principal what the primary focus area of their time at work is, they would tell you that much of their time is spent on “classroom management” or behavior control. Most teachers tell you that they spend more time on behavior management than they do in lessons. Those who say they have great classroom management utilize tactics that often include removal of disruptive students or encouraging parents to medicate the child so that they can behave in class. Removal of students takes many forms. This frequently begins as a time out, detention, or being sent to the principal’s office. More recently, new tactics such as isolation chambers are used to ensure …